To able to reach the space, we need rockets. Rocket engines work by action and reaction (“To every action, there is always opposed an equal reaction” Notes 1) and push rockets forward simply by expelling their exhaust in the opposite direction at high speed and can, therefore, work in the vacuum of space. Space rockets are usually enormous in size, because the bigger the rocket is, the more thrust can produce its engine and can carry more weight into the orbit. Here are the 10 tallest rockets ever launched in the history of space exploration.

Tech Insider published a video titled “How NASA, SpaceX, and Blue Origin’s Monster Rockets Compare”. Still, the old Saturn V, which was used by NASA between 1967 and 1973 and took humans to the Moon, is the biggest and strongest rocket ever built. But new rockets are coming and that’s finally about the change. Here is the past and future monster rockets comparison:

On Friday, December 22, 2017, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket delivered the fourth set of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites in a series of 75 total satellites to low-Earth orbit for Iridium, a global leader in mobile voice and data satellite communications. A Youtube user Jim Mudgett published an amazing footage of the Falcon 9 rocket launch. Enjoy!

December 15, 2017, was another remarkable day for humanity’s space exploration journey: SpaceX launched a reused Dragon spacecraft atop a reused Falcon 9 rocket for the first time. The purpose of that Falcon 9 launch was to deliver over 2,200 kg (more than 4,800 pounds) of supplies, which include critical science instruments to the International Space Station. The mission was successful. After putting the Dragon spacecraft into orbit about 10 minutes after liftoff, Falcon 9 returned back and landed at Zone 1, a SpaceX facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

With that Falcon 9 launch, SpaceX, the American aerospace manufacturer, and space transport services company has moved one step closer to its dream of affordable, efficient reusable space flight. To date, SpaceX didn’t launch a pre-flown spacecraft atop a pre-flown rocket. But this time, both the Falcon 9 rocket and its payload have previous spaceflight experience. This Dragon spacecraft visited the ISS back in April 2015, and the Falcon 9 first stage launched a different Dragon toward the International Space Station in June 2017. This is the company’s 13th commercial cargo mission – also the 17th launch SpaceX has conducted in 2017, and the 20th successful first stage recovery overall for the company. Now, SpaceX can use this Falcon-9 rocket in future for the third time.

The billionaire founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk has revealed a new plan to colonize Moon and Mars with giant reusable spaceships. He provided an update on their Mars colonization plan at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) Notes 1 in Adelaide, Australia this week. Musk plans to send 1 million people to Mars using BFR Notes 2, and “making life multiplanetary”. He has highly ambitious plans, like launching and landing at least two uncrewed cargo ships on Mars as early as 2022.

The newly announced BFR is smaller than the one Musk revealed at the same event last year, 106 meters (348 feet) tall and carrying capacity of 150 tonnes compared to the previous design’s 122 meters (400 feet) and 300 tonnes. But, (naturally) it’s way cheaper than the previously announced version, and according to Musk, “lower cost is the biggest update”. And, still, it is more powerful than any of SpaceX’s or NASA’s other planned rockets.

April 8, 2016, was a historical day which marks a new milestone on humanity’s space adventure: after delivering CRS-8 cargo on its way to the International Space Station, SpaceX Falcon 9 Flight 23, the third flight of the full-thrust version landed vertically on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You over the Atlantic ocean, 300 km from the Florida coastline, achieving a long-sought-after milestone for the SpaceX reusability development program.

A GoPro video inside a fairing from a recent SpaceX Falcon 9 flight captured some spectacular views as the rocket fell back to Earth. Footage is played in real time. Watch the amazing video published by SpaceX channel.